TALES OF THE HEART ( A JOURNEY TO BETTER HEALTH )

I know this from a personal experience of having a heart that started basically losing its
pumping function for one year. Then again fifteen years later. The first was in the spring of 1989 l was living in
Maple Grove Mn at the time. One night l think it was on a Friday l began to have breathing
problems couldn’t sleep laying down, l was under stress in a relationship with a woman who was
a alcoholic. Working temp jobs because l was to lazy to push myself. Earlier my brother and
l were evicted from our apartment because he didn’t pay his part of the rent, ( never share a apartment with family members or friends unless they have a good track record of taking care of business. I had to move back to my
mothers house which made me feel inadequate and lost. So l moved in with this woman thinking that would give me more independence. I began to eat unhealthy and did not take of my body or immune system. So here l was spending nights and days with a woman who would get so drunk sometimes when we went out,
I had to damn near carry her back to the car. Which added more stress to my life and health.

Back to my heart. What l thought was asthma at first was my heart beating at two hundred and twenty seven beats
per minute. I was on the verge of a possible heart attack and didn’t even know it! A virus had gotten to the left
side of my heart muscle causing the right side to over work it’s self, called cardiomyopathy or enlarged heart.

They also did a EKG ( electrocardiograph ) which measures your hearts electrical activity.
How fast the heart beats per minute and how it’s chambers conduct electrical energy.
Modern medicinal machines are amazing. Just think over sixty years ago l would have been dead!

Boy you should have seen the look on my face when the doctor told me that!
I was put on seven different types of medication which healed the physical part but not the emotional side of it.
Had to get on Social Security Disability didn’t want to be with the woman anymore it was more like misery
likes company sort of thing. The medication actually worked for a little while. We broke up once l was feeling better
and on my feet. I went from driving city bus part time to full time. Bought a better vehicle dumped her and moved
in with my father and became a man instead of boy. I lived with him for two years before l moved out and bought
my own house.

Life was great again. I had my own home with four bedrooms, a big fireplace, breakfast room for the summer time, had
a walk out upper deck from one of the bedrooms upstairs, two car garage two showers one in the basement and one
upstairs. Tv room, living room and dining room of course. Than something started happening to me health wise again,
I started having short black out spells when l was driving bus. I was dating my wife at the time.Naturally the first thing that came to mind was l must not be getting enough rest.
Until l went to the doctor and had a ECHO CARDIOGRAM plus a EKG. The rapid heart beat had returned, back on heart medication again which helped until l was found six months later in the men’s bathroom at a theater by my
nephew kneeling over a toilet because l could not stop throwing up! He helped me out of bathroom sat me on the floor
and called the ambulance. When they showed up there was hardly any color in my face.

Then off to the emergency room l went where my wife and daughter who was three met me there
with my nephew and mother. Something had to be done right on the spot. A ICD implantable cardiac defibrillator
was put into my chest. The pain was very unpleasant. After a week in the hospital l was back to work driving bus again
making money even though l disliked the job and knew in my soul l should be doing something else.

Destiny has a way of calling you!
I say that because through the later years of my life my heart condition
began to get worse even the ICD and meditation wouldn’t help. By then my pumping function was only ten
percent. They could no longer help me. I was dying slowly. It was suggested that l go to the ( UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
HOSPITAL ) to talk to a cardiologist who reconfirmed that l needed a new heart. Then came the waiting game.

I was put on strong medication with a medicine pump and drip connected to my arm.

The batteries
had to be changed everyday. It was more like a temporary fix until l received a new heart ten
months later. Even though the pain was worse than before, because they have to crack your
ribs open to replace the old heart with the new one. To me it was well worth it! I can
honestly say l thought that l may not be there to watch my daughter graduate and go to college, make
a life of her own. It can be very frightening.

Today l celebrate two years and four months of having a new life and more energy.
Doing what l love teaching art, illustrating being creative. I just finished a rough draft
of the thank you letter l am going to send the donor family. I hope to have it proofread
in a couple of weeks. Will they respond after all this time? I am not sure but l have to let
them know how thankful l am.
EVERYDAY WE SHOULD COUNT OUR BLESSING AND THINK OF THOSE WHO HAVE IT WORSE
THAN US. DONT TAKE GOOD HEALTH FOR GRANTED.